Donald Trump favors Russia in the Ukraine war.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
Multiple tier1 and tier2 sources from October 2026 (AP, Reuters, The Hill, NYT, NPR, Atlantic, NBC) document Trump lifting sanctions on Russian diesel, waiving sanctions, striking a diesel deal with Putin, calling Russia 'fine on Ukraine,' and criticizing Zelenskyy, so the claim that he favors Russia in the Ukraine war was true as of 2026-10-24.
The host relays this claim without endorsing it. It counts as passed on, not against the post.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… I brought Stephen A. Smith. He was perfect, on point. I give myself an A plus for choosing him. But me, uh, Trump never lost his temper. I kinda, uh and he never yelled, he never interrupted me. I did. I could not have been treated better if I was Russian. Well, a lot of people are very angry, including Republicans these days, that Trump favors Russia so much in the Ukraine war. The latest is hear about this Starlink? That's Elon Musk's thing, the satellite thing. Okay, Ukraine needs it to find out when the Russian missiles are coming, and someone threw a switch to slow it down. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports Washington waived sanctions on Moscow and signed a deal to import Russian diesel, while Trump said Russia has 'been fine on Ukraine' and criticized Zelenskyy.[1]
Supports. Reuters' timeline shows Trump's administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian fuel and Trump pressed Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian energy targets.[2]
Supports. The NYT describes a series of steps that seem to favor Putin, including shunting aside a bipartisan tariff law on Russia, a diesel purchase from Moscow, and calls to replace Zelensky.[3]
Supports. NPR reports senators from both parties criticizing Trump's diesel sanctions lift and his pausing of military intelligence sharing with Ukraine.[4]
Context. Trump has framed these moves as serving peace negotiations and energy prices, and The Hill reports he said 'they're both a little bit off' regarding Russian and Ukrainian strikes; this is the administration's rationale, not a refutation.[5][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 1 tier 1, 1 not rated
- 1Trump's shift on Ukraine is pushing ties to new low | AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Key dates in the latest slump in US-Ukrainian tiesreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Trump’s Push for Deals With Russia Powers His Frustration With Ukrainenytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4Trump makes Russia-friendly moves as he looks for a way to ... - NPRnpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Trump on Russia, Ukraine attacks: 'They're both a little off'thehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: context
- 6Trump defends easing sanctions on Russia amid rising anger in Congressrmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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